NEWS ARCHIVE

MBTA commuter rail plagued by delays, cancelations

Many passengers experience two-hour delays

Train personnel use an ice pick in an attempt to free a disabled commuter rail train in Stoughton on Feb. 11, 2015

MBTA commuter rail plagued by delays, cancelations

Many passengers experience two-hour delays

Share

Shares

Copy Link

{copyShortcut} to copy
Link copied!

Updated: 2:57 PM EST Feb 11, 2015

STOUGHTON, Mass. —

"There was no heat or power and we were finally told to just get off the train," said one passenger, as she described a frustrating morning in her attempt to get to Boston for work on the MBTA Commuter Rail.

The passenger, who asked that her name be withheld, said the 6:57 a.m. Providence/Stoughton train was already packed with standing-room passengers, from the 6:26 a.m. train that had been canceled, when their train came to a stop.

Advertisement

Related Content

After a 45 minute delay, passengers were then told the train had a "mechanical issue" and power was cut. The train had become "disabled over braking issues, likely caused by accumulating snow," a spokesman said.

Photos showed train personnel using ice picks in an attempt to free the train.

Passengers on the train were offered a transfer to another train almost 90 minutes after they first boarded, and her story is hardly unique.

There were at least four canceled trains Wednesday morning, even as the commuter rail ran what it called a "recovery schedule" with about 70 percent of its normal runs scheduled.

All 14 commuter rail lines experienced delays, which were more than two hours for some passengers, a spokesman said.